The plot was good, such an interesting concept, but I think it could’ve been a bit shorter. There were a few plot twists that I didn’t see coming, regarding Julie, and I also didn’t see where the dominoes storyline was going at all.
The ending took a turn I wasn’t expecting, but I wasn’t mad about it, it was kind of nice. I think me not really liking Julie had something to do with expecting something different.

As for the characters, I think my feelings about Robbie are very neutral, he wasn’t the most likable character, but at the same time he wasn’t unlikable either. I get the way he behaved because he was always so confused and lost because he had lost all of his memories, but he did get a bit on my nerves at times.
As for Julie, I did never fully trust her; from minute 1 I knew there was something shady about her, and I think Robbie did too, except we didn’t know what it was until about halfway through.

Overall, I enjoyed the story but at times I felt that it dragged out a little bit.

3.5-4 stars

I really liked the idea of this book, and it grabbed my attention from the very beginning.

Every 179 days, Robbie loses his memory, and he relies on instructions from his past self to get through his day to day routines. I really liked Robbie’s character and could feel both his loneliness and his apprehension to growing close to others. When Julie first came into the picture, I thought I liked her and that she could help Robbie learn to live a little and come out of his reclusive shell. But when Julie reveals her own secret, her whole demeanor changed, and I understood why Robbie was hesitant to trust her.

This story had a pretty steady buildup, but after all of the climactic scenes, the story seemed to fizzle out and the ending felt a bit rushed. I just wished I had liked it overall as much as I had in the beginning.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3944353240

Due to a rare neurological condition Robbie loses his memory (approximately) every 179 days. (Think 50 First Dates, but 179ish days instead of 24 hours.)
He refers to this as "the forgetting" .
Hugh Breakey (The author) never really goes into much detail about his condition, which I found a little disappointing.

Overall, I liked the book.
In some parts it was a little repetitive, and I found myself wondering why he was SO fixated on the dominoes. That does get explained... kind of.
Robbie seemed to be a little bit off when it came to interacting with others.
There were moments with Julie that were sweet, but quite suddenly he would change his mind, or something would happen and he would become defensive or angry and take it out on her.

I don't want to give anything away about their relationship but it would be tough to be in either of their shoes.

My Beautiful Fall is a story about Robert and his recurring amnesia and its a groundhog kind of life for him.
I found it very slow to be quite honest although the blurb did intrigue me. It seemed as though the diary entries he does and his domino obsession was all he was interested in. Every week he gets a food delivery and the lady that delivers it, he strikes up a sort of a friendship with her.
What happens when amnesia strikes again? What messages has he left for himself and how does he cope with starting over again?
It was a totally different story than what I am used to but in all honesty you may like it more. He documents his daily life in anticipation of when the moment strikes and I had no idea what would happen and when.
I really struggled to read this one....

Although slow to start, The Beautiful Fall becomes a beautiful and poetic take on the power of trust.

I really wanted to love this book but it read like a diary and not a lot happened, especially in the beginning. It was really repetitive, which I guess is to be expected when a guy has to live his life over again every 179 days.

I also found both Robbie and his love interest, Julie very one dimensional. I could definitely tell the author is a philosopher, the book really reads that way. This is kind of like 50 First Dates and Groundhog Day rolled into one, without the wit or humour. And the ending seemed rushed.

Every 179 days Robbie forgets everything. His name. Where he lives. Everyone he knows. And who he is. To cope with the impending memory loss Robbie prepares himself as best as he can; with letters and a journal for his future self, and by living a solitary and very scheduled life.

It was tricky figuring out how I feel about this one. The first sentences had me hooked. Reading the first few paragraphs I was so excited to get lost in Robbie's world. The story starts with Robbie having just 12 days left before he forgets it all and the tension and apprehension is palpable.

And then the dominoes talk begun. Pages and pages and pages of talking about dominoes. It becomes clear quickly that dominoes are very important to Robbie and that he's attempting to set up something very special with thousands of dominoes. But I just did not care. This part of the book really dragged for me.

About halfway through the pace quickens. The dominoes are still there but it's much less in your face. Instead the story now focuses on a woman Robbie has accidentally become friends with - Julie. As there relationship develops, Robbie gets closer and closer to forgetting it all. Each chapter counts down a day, building the sense of urgency and intrigue about what will happen next for Robbie.

My thoughts flipped-flopped on both Julie and Robbie. Sometimes he felt a bit robotic and other times I felt for him. Sometimes I liked Julie, other times she seemed like straight up trouble. Sometimes I rooted for them, and other times I really did not.

In saying that, the book got better and better as it progressed. And I really like the way it ended.

The Beautiful Fall poses some interesting questions around memories and the way memories shape our identity. Who are we really if we don't know anything about ourself and our past? Would we still be the same person if we no longer remembered who that was?

If you're a fan of The Rosie Project you'll probably like this one. It's easy to read, fun in parts and shines a fairly lighthearted look on social interactions between people.

3.5 stars

THE BEAUTIFUL FALL by Hugh Breakey wasn’t for me at all. This novel is about Robbie who loses all his memories every 6 months. I initially really liked the premise for this book and the set up. I also liked the way the chapters in this book were a countdown to his next memory loss. It took quite a while for something interesting to happen which is when Robbie meets a woman. In essence this is a love story but I found both characters lacking. Robbie especially seemed robotic and maybe it’s because he’s mostly just discovering himself. I did not care for him or his relationship. Sorry I don’t recommend this book. I’d say watch 50 First Dates instead.
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Thank you to Text Publishing via NetGalley for my advance review copy!

I saw another review asking an essential question regarding the Beautiful Fall … Why is no one talking about this book?
I chose it as a 'read now' on NetGalley because I felt pretty defeated from my last terrible pick and was on a mission to not just build my NetGalley resume but not waste my time and life reading bad books. I read the synopsis - I know! Who even am I anymore? I read the few reviews available and decided to give it a go. Less than 24 hours later, here I am.
I devoured this story.
It immediately reminded me of Eleanor Oliphant, so I see a theme where socially inept loners are my thing.
The story grabs you from the first sentence, a letter from Robbie to himself explaining everything. That every 179 days, Robbie experiences a form of amnesia that completely wipes his memory. His key to surviving is this letter that he carries with him everywhere. It explains who he is, where he lives, and a map to get home. Once in his apartment's safety, he gets his meals delivered. Everything, rent included, is on autopay. Past Robbie also leaves current Robbie a task. 83,790 dominos, a job he takes on as if his present life hangs on its completion.
Until bright, attractive Julie enters his world and completely changes everything, he knew to be true about past Robbie.
I am not giving this a five star review because, for a shorter book, the end was completely rushed. There was more than enough time and interest to give it the proper finish it deserved.
I strongly suggest The Beautiful Fall when it is released this April. I am hoping it reaches the audience it deserves.

Thank you to NetGalley, Text Publishing and Hugh Breaky for giving this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The synopsis of this book really got my attention and I think is well constructed because while it makes you want to read the book, it doesn't give too much away.
I felt like the start was a little bit slow and it took me a while to get into the story but once you get into it, the slow beginning is completely worth it! I think the story is well written, it leaves you guessing and thinking about what's going to happen every time you finish a page.
I liked the characters a lot and never knew on which side to stand (not a bad thing! I honestly enjoyed it)
I was not expecting this and what happened throughout the book, it was indeed beautiful. For me is one of those books I would love to see turned into a movie. Would definitely recommend it

I really enjoyed reading this one. Right from the start, the author draws you in. Our protagonist loses his memory every few months, leaving him with a blank slate and no more than a place to live and a letter explaining what happens. Robbie is a recluse, obsessed with creating a domino show, when he meets Julie, the grocery deliverer. What Robbie learns in the course of a few days changes everything. He has the choice to make a decision that will change his life- and his future lives- forever.
The dialogue is intense and very-well written. I enjoyed the characterization of the characters and learning about them along the way. Highly recommend!

I love stories like this which are reminiscent of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and The Time Travelers wife, I was hooked from the very first sentence. Robert’s story was riveting and I couldn’t put this book down. I was very curious to see how he gets thru life with his very unique kind of amnesia where he basically resets his memories after every 6 months. I can’t imagine what it’s like to basically start over with a clean slate no memories every 6 months. Such a lonely sad existence which is why I was rooting for his love story with Julie to succeed. I can’t wait to see the Netflix version of this book! Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book and provide my honest feedback!

Das Konzept ist genial! Ich konnte den E-Reader nicht mehr aus der Hand legen und hab das Buch an einem Wochenende durchgelesen. Werde das Buch auf jeden Fall empfehlen!

The concept of the story is unique and intriguing. I enjoyed reading the book but the ending seems abrupt. Thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for letting me read and review this novel.

The premise of the story is promising. I was actually glued from the start to the end. The story was well written but the world-building seems abridged. I want to know more about the MCs' family/support system, their relationship before the forgetting, and the reason behind Julie's addiction.

I love how Robbie coped up with his medical condition even if it means being secluded from the outside world until Julie came back to his life.

The ending seems a bit abrupt like I want to know more now that they are together when a new episode of forgetting sets in.

Overall, this was a page-turner and a pleasure to read.

Thank you, author, publisher, and Netgalley for allowing me to read and give my honest opinion of this book.

We see the world through Robert Penfold’s voice and thoughts. He has a medical condition of recurring amnesia which lets him forget everything every 179 days. He, therefore, tries to live a secluded, isolated and safe life in his apartment counting the days until his next ‘forgetting’. We meet Robert on the last 12 days before he will forget and when he meets Julie a new person everything gets unsettled. This story in itself draws the reader in and it becomes a page-turner.
However, the story has so many more layers for reflection and thinking, like what is worth remembering, who are we really, what are memories, and how are they retained and people influence memory and shape us?
The unconventional story, the way of writing stayed with me for a long time and I can only recommend this book.

I'm a big fan of "Groundhog Day" and "50 First Dates" type stories, where you get to relive the same day over and over and see how it could change, so of course, when I was able to receive an advanced copy from NetGalley, I was excited to dive into it. I'm so thankful I did.

I enjoyed feeling like I was going through this "new cycle" with Robbie, reading the same letter along with him that explained who he was and what was going on. You immediately start to empathize with him - how could you not? Especially when he meets Julie. Suddenly, you went from thinking, "Poor guy. This must be so hard for his loved ones to witness over and over," to thinking, "This poor man! Hasn't he been through enough?" I was on edge waiting to see where Robbie's story would take us, and it was worth every anxious breath.

I really wanted to love this book. Parts of it I did! I found the dominoes dull (maybe I missed the symbolism?!) and I skimmed a couple of chapters in the first third of the book. I did become more invested in the love story half way through and the premise was definitely interesting. I was expecting to be swept away and I just wasn’t... So it’s a 3,5 stars and a hope that I fall in love with the author’s next book!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

Interesting premise and pretty well executed. These kinds of ideas for stories can go off the rails quite easily, but stayed on track, and includes some interesting plot points and story approaches and surprises. A good literary tale. Recommended.

I really appreciate the ARC for review!!

This an amazing journey over a short period in time. Robert Penfold leads many lives forgetting all of his befores. He is an intense character scared of life, love and fitting all of the above into time. Nothing can prepare you for this disjointed adventure. Hold on, it’s an intense ride.